To Trust to Love
by Lady Orchid
Summary: Inuyasha and crew work at their family's inn. There is nothing out of the ordinary until one day a bruised and bloodied stranger stumbles into their lives. A stranger that looks just like Kikyo. Update: On indefinite hiatus.
1. A Visitor

AN: Hey guys! Lady Orchid here with a brand new story for you! I just came up with it one night, out of the blue. I was like. . . wow. This could work. And here I am. So read on and enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha. If I did, I would be rich and have maids. Therefore I wouldn't have to do the dishes. But I am not rich, I don't own him, and I have to do the dishes anyway. :(

**Chapter One: A Visitor**

"Sesshomaru! Inuyasha! There are some horses outside that need your attention! Boys? Don't make me tell you twice!" called their aunt from the kitchen.

"We're going!" shouted Inuyasha, then grumbled under his breath. His half brother had already made his way to the door. With a sigh, he got up from his comfortable seat and joined him.

Within minutes they were in the stables, unbridling the travelers' horses and rubbing them down. They worked in silence. Most of the time, there was nothing to say. The two young men focused on the tasks at hand. Grooming horses was nothing. They were used to harder work, having lived at the inn all their lives. It was their father's establishment. He had built it himself nearly forty years earlier, eighteen years before Sesshomaru was born, and twenty-one prior to the birth of Inuyasha. They were half brothers, born from different mothers. It made little difference, for both had their father's silver hair and amber eyes. Not to be mistaken, they did not look very much alike. Sesshomaru had cold, aristocratic features while Inuyasha's tended to be more rugged, but both had primarily taken after their father. After his death years earlier, their aunt, Kaede, had become the innkeeper until Sesshomaru became of age to take care of it himself. He was of age, but they had become quite content with their way of life.

Inuyasha heard an annoyed sigh and looked up. His older brother was gazing with discontent at the horse's leg. Curiously, the younger sibling approached. He also sighed. There was a cut, about three inches long, on the horse's right front leg. From the look of it, the injury had occurred many days before, but went unnoticed. "When will these people learn how to take care of their horses?" The younger brother reached up and got a box off of the shelf above their heads and tossed it to his sibling.

Sesshomaru caught it, shaking his head, then knelt next to the horses injury. He took a clean rag from the box and wet it in a nearby water bucket, cleaning the dried blood and dirt from the wound. He then applied a salve to the leg and bandaged it before rinsing his hands. He hoped the cut wouldn't get infected. Infection could mean amputation, then the horse would be put down. '_Waste of a good mare,_' he thought, shaking his head once again as he put the box back onto the shelf. They finished up quickly, then started back to the inn at dusk. Bypassing the front entrance, they opted for kitchen door instead.

Suddenly Inuyasha stopped. Sesshomaru looked back at his younger brother and saw what had caught his attention. He was eyeing the swords. The area behind the inn was large and rather flat, perfect for sword practice, something the two partook in regularly if not daily. Not far from the inn was a forest, giving them all the privacy they needed. Inuyasha looked from the weapons to his brother, a slight smile tugging at his lips. Sesshomaru studied the setting sun. The girls usually had dinner ready shortly after dark. There was more than enough time for a quick match. He raised a brow, an unspoken challenge. Inuyasha grinned and tossed his brother a sword, getting one for himself as well.

"After all these years I thought you would tired of losing," said Sesshomaru, walking towards the center of their practice area.

"Quit your yapping," replied Inuyasha, following. Once they were a few meters away from each other, they entered fighting stance. Moments later, without warning, Inuyasha sprung forward and started to attack his brother. Sesshomaru dodged his assaults, countering them with some of his own. Their footwork was graceful, quick, and practiced. Apart from the clash of metal against metal, only their breathing was heard over the usual sounds of an ending day.

After a minutes of fighting, the older sibling smirked. "You are becoming slow, little brother."

"Shut up, arrogant asshole." Inuyasha struck once again to be blocked by his brother, who just laughed.

"Perhaps you should train for two hours a day instead of just one?"

"Whatever. I'm holding my own, aren't I?"

"But since when has merely 'holding your own' been enough?"

Inuyasha growled, eyes narrowing, and muttered under his breath. What happened next caught him by surprise: Sesshomaru lowered his sword. His younger brother looked at him, puzzled.

"Did you hear that?" the older asked quietly.

Inuyasha opened his mouth to ask 'what' but then he heard it too, a rustling noise coming from the forest. Sesshomaru headed to their left, towards the noise, approaching quietly. Inuyasha too started forward, ready to attack if need be. Upon listening closer, the two brothers knew that whatever they heard was no animal.

"Show yourself," commanded the older sibling. There was no response, but instead the rustling came closer. The two readied themselves. A few moments later, they detected movement and advanced warily. Whatever it was would be entering the clearing within seconds.

A hooded figure stumbled into the clearing. The brothers immediately noticed something wrong with the cloak it was wearing. It didn't move like normal cloth should, but instead hung, looking limp and heavy. They watched it suspiciously. '_There is something wrong with this,_' the oldest thought, observing the person stagger forward and collapse. Sesshomaru, being closest, caught them just before they reached the ground. The hood fell back, exposing a young woman's beautiful, yet familiar face.

"K-Kikyo?" Inuyasha sputtered, not believing his eyes. '_But that's impossible. Kikyo's inside. I saw her in the window as we passed by. Who is this?_' he thought, mind racing.

Sesshomaru immediately found out why the cloak moved so oddly. It was nearly soaked through. With blood. '_Where is she wounded?_' he mused. '_So much blood. Where is it coming from?_'

He immediately picked up the girl and ran to the inn, Inuyasha going up ahead to get the door to the kitchen.

"What on earth?" their aunt cried, seeing the wounded girl in his arms.

"I'll need some bandages," he stated quickly, using the back stairway.

"Where are you taking her?"

"Third floor." He was already halfway up the first flight of stairs.

Their aunt turned hurried into the commons area of the inn, where the girls she had hired were serving the guests.

"Sango. Kikyo. I need you in here. Now."

The urgency in her voice made them quickly follow her back into the kitchen.

"What's going on?"

The innkeeper was quickly gathering an arm-full of salves, balms, and herbs. "I need you to get as many bandages as you can and meet Sesshomaru in the empty room on the third floor. I'll get these. You." She turned to Inuyasha. "Grab that kettle and come on." They followed her orders, racing up the stairs to the third floor.

:-:

Sesshomaru made it up the stairs and to the empty room in no time at all. He set the girl on the bed and grabbed the nearest lantern from the hallway. He bent over her, putting two fingers to her jugular and listened silently. Her pulse was weak, her breathing shallow. '_I'll have to work fast._' He looked down at her. Now that he had decent lighting, he could see that things were worse than he thought. There was so much blood. '_Where is it all coming from?_' he thought, frustrated. His question was soon answered as he opened the cloak. Her forearms and calves were cut viciously, three equally spaced cuts on each appendage. But there was more blood coming from somewhere. It wasn't her stomach. He turned her onto her side. Her back was also cut, five slashes that were a half-foot long each ran from her shoulder blades down, also equally spaced apart. As far as he saw, every part of her that was not cut was bruised instead. '_Except for her face,_'he noticed. Sesshomaru pushed the blood soaked cloak out of his way, trying to think of a way to get the bleeding to stop.

Right on time, the door opened and in bustled the girls with the bandages and clothes, his aunt with the medicine, and Inuyasha with hot water. A few moments later, another boy entered, carrying more water.

"Oh my. . ." started Sango, staring at the bruised and bloodied girl on the bed. "Was she attacked by an animal?"

"No animal did this." '_At least, not the type of animal you think._' "It was a person. These marks are precise. It must have taken a long time to do." As he spoke, Sesshomaru took the bandages, pressing them to her legs. "Help me." They immediately did as he said, pressing cloths to her arms and legs. "Wait." He turned her over so that he could get access to the injuries on her back. Upon seeing them, a collective gasp sounded in the room. He ignored them, but set to the task of pressing bandages to her cuts. Miroku, the other boy carrying the hot water, assisted him. A few minutes later, the bleeding hadn't stopped, but it had slowed significantly, enough for him to take a bit more time to access the situation. The girl was wearing only a nightdress beneath the cloak, he realized. '_The cuts on her back had been made through the nightdress,_' he recalled. The more he thought about what could have happened, the more disgusted he became. He was frowning, deep in thought.

His aunt interrupted his musings. "We will clean her. Wait outside, then you can come back and bandage her up when we're done."

He nodded and, with the other young men, left the room.

The women set to work, getting the girl out of her blood-soaked nightgown and cleaning her off.

"The poor thing. What could have happened to her?" asked a young woman with dark eyes and hair.

"I'm not sure Sango." The two boys' aunt was just about done with the girl's back. When they gently turned her over, the woman gasped softly. She hadn't noticed before, but the injured girl looked almost exactly like Kikyo, the other girl she hired. There were a few differences in the features, but the bone structure was nearly identical, and the overall effect was quite perplexing.

"Do you know her?" asked Sango, also confused.

Kikyo shook her head. "No." Long dark hair was tied away from a pale face, her charcoal grey eyes narrowed in puzzlement.

"Almost done," murmured the boys' aunt, Kaede, wiping a smear of blood from the girl's cheek. Ten minutes later, they were finished and the bleeding had nearly stopped. They turned her onto her stomach once again and put her into another nightgown, leaving the back open. "Sesshomaru? You can come in now."

A moment later the young man entered. He looked at the girl and sighed, shaking his head. Without another word, he set to applying the salve to her back, using a paste of herbs on the deeper cuts. He left the women to bandage her back as he set to work on her arms. Once he got to her legs, he noticed that one of the cuts on her left was particularly deep. '_I will have to watch that one so it doesn't get infected._' He recalled thinking something along those same lines in the stables earlier and gave a cynical laugh. Sesshomaru shook his head again, using the herbal paste and wrapping the bandages securely from her knee down to her ankle. With the help of the women, it didn't take long to finish. He checked her vitals once again. Things seemed pretty much the same. Her pulse was still weak and her breathing was still shallow. He was about to move away when he felt her hand move next to his arm. He watched the girl closely as her eyelids fluttered and opened marginally.

"Please," she whispered, her voice barely audible before succumbing to unconsciousness once again.

AN: Yep. That's all for now, kiddies! I know it was short, but I wanted the first chapter to stop after the whole 'please' thing. It's just the way I have it imagined and mapped out in me head, that's all. Well, you all know what time it is. Hey! Don't you groan at me! That's right. I want you to review. Yep. That pretty little purple button thingie down there? Yep. I want you to push it and tell me what you thought of me first chappie. I know you want to. You feel yourself being drawn to that amazingly attractive purple button. Push it! Go ahead. I won't tell anyone. If you review, I will give you a rose and a really big cookie. (Not to mention a nice, juicy, LONG second chapter.) I promise! ; )

PS. BTW, for those of you who can read but not subtract, Sesshomaru is twenty-two and Inuyasha is nineteen.


	2. More Questions Than Answers

AN: I'm baaaaaack! How's it going? Thanks to those of you that reviewed. To those who didn't, well. . . nevermind. Come on! How hard is it to push a few little buttons! Even if it was only one word, I'd be happy. You could leave a review that said 'More' and I'd be happy! sigh oh well. Anyway. . . read on, people.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Inuyasha. Don't own Sesshy either. If I did. . . well lets just say that I wouldn't be writing right now.

**Chapter Two: More Questions Than Answers**

Sesshomaru looked down at his patient. In their area, he was known for being able to heal just about anything. From headaches to heart attacks, he could usually help. '_But this?_' He thought, studying the girl's unmarked face. It really was startling how much she looked like Kikyo, yet the serving girl swore that she didn't know her. That, however, was the least of his worries. He wasn't quite sure how the girl managed to pull through those first few hours. With how much blood she had lost, it was a miracle that she had lasted thirty minutes. He glanced up to find his aunt watching the girl also.

"It's still so odd," she said softly, not looking away.

He nodded, murmuring a sound of agreement. "Most would have died long ago," he commented, voice even.

"That, among other things," remarked Kaede, stepping away from the bed with a sigh.

She was right. There were so many odd things about what had happened, he did not know where to begin. After a few moments of deliberation, he decided to start on the girl herself. Besides the fact that she looked enough like Kikyo for them to be sisters, there were many odd things about her. Her hands bore evidence of work, which led him to believe that she was a peasant or at the very least not noble, yet the nightgown she wore when he brought her in was of unmistakably high quality, too expensive to be afforded by just anyone. The fact that she was in possession of a cloak bearing Lord Naraku's crest was puzzling as well. Finding nothing conclusive, he directed his thoughts to her wounds. All of the wounds on her appendages where quite uniform, all the same length and depth and distance apart, with the exception of the particularly deep cut on her left leg. It was just as long and the same distance apart from the others, but it seemed as if the one who inflicted her with the wounds purposely wanted that one to be deeper than the rest. The cuts on her back were the same. All five of them were roughly six inches in length, running from between her shoulder blades to the middle of her back. The wounds must have taken a long time to create. '_Whoever did this to her must have been patient. But they cut through the back of the nightgown. They were patient enough to make the cuts, but not patient enough to remove the gown? Or perhaps they didn't want to remove it. But why?_' He was at a loss yet again. He just couldn't come to any conclusion about the girl . She was like an unsolvable puzzle. He was stumped, and he hated to be stumped.

With a sigh, he set about checking the girl's vitals again, having done so every hour for the eight she had been there. He noted, puzzled, that her pulse seemed to have improved since the last time he checked her. '_Odd,_' he mused, then checked her breathing. Her breath came in short, soft gusts. It was not necessarily back to normal, but it was a vast improvement.

"She will be fine. If she has pulled through thus far, she will make it a few more hours while you get some rest," said Kaede softly, watching her nephew check the girl.

The young man sighed. "You're right." He paused for a moment, then continued. "I just can't figure this out."

The woman smiled, touching his arm. "Then perhaps you were not supposed to find out as of yet. Perhaps the girl was supposed to relieve your curiosity herself."

Sesshomaru didn't reply, but instead looked down at his new 'patient'. Without another word, he got a blanket and set it in the chair next to the bed.

Kaede shook her head, still smiling. She hadn't expected the young man to go back to his room. '_After all, a good healer never leaves their charge,_' she thought, watching her nephew settle himself in his makeshift bed, glancing at the girl once again. The woman laughed. "She'll be fine."

He gave a tense sigh and watched his aunt leave. With one last brief look in his patient's direction, he closed his eyes and let sleep claim him.

He woke roughly five hours later and cursed himself for resting so long. '_I must have been more tired than I thought._' He stood, putting the blanket away and turned to the bed.

The girl was still resting, she showed no sign of waking. Without wasting any time, he checked her. '_She's still alive,_' he noted, examining her. '_And better off than last night._' He eyed her bandages, then decided to change them out with fresh ones. '_I'm surprised the blood hasn't soaked through yet._' He removed one of the cloth dressings and stared. '_That shouldn't be possible._' He blinked, then looked once again. Sure enough, the same thing greeted his eyes. He shook his head, still staring, then came to his senses and left the room. He walked down to the edge of the staircase.

"Kaede?" he called, voice neutral as always.

"Yes?" Her voice wafted up the stairwell.

"Could you come here for a moment?"

A few seconds later, he could hear her footsteps approaching the third floor. "What is it?" she asked, a bit breathlessly, as she reached the landing. He didn't reply, but turned walked back to the room where the girl slept.

"Look at this," he said finally, uncovering the wound once again.

The woman gasped softly. The wound had grown smaller. It was nearly half the size it had been the night before. Wordlessly, her nephew uncovered a few more, to discover that they too had shrunken. She stared, blinked, then went back into the hallway. Sesshomaru could hear her calling for Kikyo. A few moments later, the two women entered the room. "Look," said Kaede simply.

Kikyo's reaction was more similar to his own. Other than a widening of her eyes, there was no other evidence of her surprise. They all stared at the wounds on the girl's arm in silence.

"There is no way that a normal person could heal that quickly," said Sesshomaru finally.

"She heals like a miko," commented Kikyo, voice soft.

"A very powerful miko," added Kaede, then the room once again lapsed into silence.

'_It still doesn't make any sense,_' thought Sesshomaru, annoyed. He mentally shook himself, then set about redressing her smaller wounds. '_They probably won't even leave scars._' He thought otherwise as her looked at the deepest wound on her left leg. '_This one might._' He continued on his tasks, finishing quickly and disposed of the bandages. Some healers kept their bandages, merely washing them as a way to save cloth. He, however, did not. He only used new bandages, for he would not have his patients becoming even more ill because a bandage might not have been washed properly.

Kikyo's voice caught his attention. "Did you find out anything about her?"

"Nothing of use." '_She's like one big paradox,_' he thought with a silent sigh. His aunt was about to speak when he could see something moving out of the corner of his eye. It was the girl. '_Could she be waking already?_' he thought, moving towards the edge of the bed. He saw movement again. She was clenching and unclenching her fingers slowly. '_She may have healed quickly, but she is still weak._' He watched her warily as she opened her eyes.

The first thing he noticed was their color, one of the key differences between her and Kikyo. The serving girl's eyes were grey, the color of thunderheads. The injured girl before him had eyes like a storm, grey like Kikyo's but also with a distinct tone of blue. Those blue-grey orbs widened in fear. He merely stood there, watching her take in his presence. After a moment, recognition settled over her features and she relaxed marginally.

"So she's awake then?" asked Kaede softly. The girl turned her head slightly to find the source of the voice. When the girl's eyes met hers, the woman smiled. The girl relaxed a bit more. Then she saw Kikyo.

Her eyes widened once again and she gasped softly. They all waited in silence as she watched the girl who looked so much like herself.

Kikyo let a small smile grace her lips. The girl looked at her warily, but was evidently trying to calm herself. They could actually see her force the tension from her body, taking deep breaths. After a few moments, the girl licked her lips and spoke. The language had no meaning to Kaede and Kikyo, but Sesshomaru recognized it. It was the common tongue of their neighboring country, Sakaio. 'Where am I?' she was asking.

Although he could understand her and reply in her native language, he used his own to see if she could understand. "You are in Taisoku. What is your name?"

She obviously understood him well enough, for she replied "Higurashi Kagome." She licked her lips again ('_Must be a nervous habit,_' thought Sesshomaru) and continued. "Is she- is she real?"

Kikyo laughed softly. "I assure you, I am just as real as you are."

She seemed to take the information in stride, then turned slowly to Sesshomaru with wide confused eyes. "What happened?"

"Actually, we were hoping you could tell us," said Kaede softly, watching her.

Her brow furrowed in thought. '_Maybe we can finally get some answers if she remembers,_' thought Sesshomaru, remaining silent. After a few seconds, an expression of realization fell into place on the girl's visage. He watched as emotions flickered across her face. Disbelief. Horror. Repulsion. Sadness. Anger. Hopelessness. And many more he couldn't put a name to, before she settled on a blank stare. She continued to look, emotionlessly, at whatever was directly in front of her. Moment after moment ticked by as she did nothing but gaze, unseeing, at the wall before her. Then she blinked, once, twice, and turned to Sesshomaru as if he could give her the answers. His face remained impassive, but still she looked to him. Then she turned away from them, burying her face into her pillow. For the longest, all they heard was her breathing.

Sesshomaru looked away from her and to the women standing on the other side of the room. The shook their heads and shrugged. They didn't know what to think, and neither did he. But her reaction was better than nothing, bleak as it was. He didn't like the way things were looking and, if her behavior was any indicator, he had every right to assume the worst. The two women eventually left the room silently, leaving only him with his coping patient. There was not a sound. Sesshomaru didn't expect her to say anything, so he go to work grinding the herbs for another paste. Her wounds, though small as they were, could still use some. It came as a slight shock when he heard her speak.

"Who was she?"

He knew what she was talking about. "Her name is Kikyo."

"Oh." He could hear her shift on the bed.

"Do you know her?"

"No."

Sesshomaru let the conversation die a natural death as he continued to grind the herbs. His thoughts drifted to what they were supposed to do with the girl now known as 'Higurashi Kagome'. '_We'll send her on her way, back to Sakaio. But if she has nowhere to go. . .'_ He sighed silently. '_This should be interesting._'

AN: Okay. I'm back with chapter two. It would have been longer, but I thought it best to split this chapter into two smaller parts. You get faster updates and I get somewhat of a break. So. . . yeah. I would have updated Unfortunate Circumstances (goodness that is a pain to type) but every time I tried, I kept getting ideas for T.T.T.L Oh well. I'll figure out something. Got questions? Need answers? Ask! As much as I would love to, I cannot read minds, so REVIEW! If you do, I'll give you a cupcake. Buh bye for now!


	3. I Don't Remember

AN: Wow. Thanks for the reviews people, and for those who did ask questions, I'll be answering them at the end of the chapter. As I said before, any and all reviews are welcome. Okay. Continue

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Inuyasha and crew. (sniffle) I said I wasn't going to cry.

**Chapter Three: I Don't Remember**

Kagome stared as the man ground herbs into his mortar and pestle. It didn't appear as if he would say anything else, of which she was glad. She had expected him to be full of questions, questions she didn't have answers to. Questions she wouldn't and couldn't answer, even if she wanted to. They remained silent, though fully aware of one another.

Sesshomaru frowned thoughtfully. He could feel her wary gaze presenting itself as an itch between his shoulder blades. Her caution irked him, but he knew there was no help for it. The girl had obviously been attacked by something, and she was scared. Perfectly understandable. '_And she is in a different country as well,_' he thought, finishing with his herbs and setting them aside. '_It is completely reasonable for her to be frightened._' He left the room briefly to obtain a pitcher of water. It hadn't gotten by him that she was dehydrated. Before he returned to his charge, he called down to the bottom of the stairs for broth and bread. '_She may not be able to stomach anything too heavy,_' he thought, returning to the room.

Kagome had been inspecting her surroundings when her silver-haired doctor returned. She tensed without realizing it, her eyes following him as he moved about. He stopped at the dresser, his back turned to her. '_He is so stealthy. I wouldn't have even heard him come in,_' she thought, making herself all the more alert. Something akin to panic rose in her chest when he turned and started towards her. It took everything in her not to bolt for the door once he reached her bedside.

He noticed her apprehension and spoke. "Do you feel well enough to eat?"

Kagome, eyes wide with alarm, nodded slowly.

"I'm going to have to sit you up then."

He reached for her. She flinched.

Sesshomaru looked up, his gaze meeting hers. Seeing the fear in her eyes, he paused.

She blinked. '_Gold eyes? How odd._' It was even more odd that he had stopped when he noticed her unease. He was waiting for her. She took a steadying breath and forced herself to relax.

He put an arm around her shoulders, slowly pushing her forward until she sat upright. Then, with his free hand, he arranged the pillows behind her then lowered her once again, careful of her wounds. He arched a brow. She nodded hesitantly. He turned away, leaving her bedside. '_That wasn't too bad,_' she thought with a sigh. The silver-haired, golden-eyed man returned and offered her a cup. She looked at it cautiously, then at him as if to say 'You expect me to do drink this?'

"It's just water," he said, still holding the cup out to her. She glanced at him again before taking a timid sip of the offered liquid. '_Tastes alright,_' she thought, then snatched the cup from him, draining it in moments.

Sesshomaru watched her empty the cup, not saying a word. He knew she would be thirsty and had prepared himself for such, but could not help staring at her. She blushed, lowering her eyes. He took the cup from her, refilled it, and offered it to her once again. She took it gratefully, drinking it slowly but eagerly. "How long has it been since you ate or drank.?"

She lowered her eyes once again. "I don't remember."

He didn't reply as he took the cup from her and placed it on the night stand. He turned to her once again, reaching to take her pulse. She recoiled slightly, panic once again returning to her features. He spared her a glance before continuing with his examination. Her pulse was quickened '_Probably by fear,_' he noted, but normal otherwise. "Take a deep breath," he ordered, listening intently as she did so. It was a bit shaky, which he also attributed to fear, but normal as well. He then took a bandage off of her arm. '_So odd._' In the small amount of time since he had changed her bandages, she seemed to have healed even more. "Do you always heal this quickly?"

She looked away, but nodded.

"Are you in any pain?"

She shook her head.

"Lightheaded?"

She shook her head again.

They continued that way for a few moments before he finished his examination. '_And not a moment too soon,_' he thought, hearing the sound of footsteps in the hall outside. Seconds later, there was a knock at the door. Kagome jumped a foot in the air. "Come," called her healer.

In came two people, neither of which she recognized at first. Upon closer inspection, however, she noted that one of them was the boy with her healer the night before. They shared the same hair and eyes, but the features were irrefutably different. The other person in the room was a girl, but not the 'Kikyo' who looked so much like her. The girl before her had dark hair and brown eyes. They each carried a tray laden with food. Kagome blinked, though her healer shook his head.

"I asked for a bowl of broth. _One bowl_ of _broth_. What is all of this?" he asked, plainly annoyed.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru, but it was all Kaede's doing," started the girl. '_Sesshomaru?_' thought Kagome. '_That must be his name. But who is Kaede?_' The girl continued. "She started off with the broth, but then she said that broth never fills anyone up, so she added the bread. Then she thought that the girl might like something heavier, since she healed up so quickly and added the potato soup. Which would need more bread. Then she though that the girl would like something nice to drink besides water, and then she said that 'all girls like something sweet', so–"

Sesshomaru held up a hand to stop her. "Enough." He took a deep breath, then looked at the girl. "This is Sango and Inuyasha." They greeted her. She nodded to each of them. "I have a feeling I will regret this." He shook his head, then continued. "I'm out of Tricera root. Do you two think you can manage to keep an eye on her while I get some?"

"Keep an eye on her? She's not two or anything. I seriously doubt she'll fall out of bed or stab herself in the eyeball with a fork or something," commented Inuyasha with a smirk.

Sesshomaru's eyes narrowed as he grew annoyed. "Just don't kill her. Is that simple enough?" He turned to his patient, whose eyes were wide. He sighed. "Eat whatever appeals to you." Then he was gone.

"Asshole," muttered Inuyasha, rolling his eyes.

"Well of course. He is, after all, your brother," replied Sango nonchalantly. Inuyasha frowned at her and she grinned. "It runs in the family," she said to Kagome with a wink. Inuyasha grumbled under his breath, but didn't reply. "Well, which tray do you want?"

Kagome looked at her choices. One tray had broth, what looked like potato soup, tomato soup, and silverware. The other had a scrumptious looking chocolate something or another on it, two plates of bread, and the devices needed for making tea. She looked quite astounded. They waited for an answer.

"Well?" asked the annoyed young man.

She blinked and looked up at them. "This is mine?"

Sango laughed softly. "Yes."

"All of it?"

"Are you not right in the head or something? Yes it's all yours," snapped Inuyasha, then received a glare from the girl next to him.

"And I get to choose?"

"Yes. 'Eat whatever appeals to you'. That's what he said, right?" Sango was smiling.

She frowned. "There's something in it, isn't there?" she asked softly, sounding disappointed.

Sango seemed shocked. "Of course not!"

The girl seemed hesitant but, after further urging, stared in awe at the food presented to her. She gazed longingly at the potato soup, but instead chose the broth. She settled down with the clear liquid and began to consume it.

"What are you doing?" asked Inuyasha, sounding annoyed.

The girl froze, then looked up at him fearfully. "Y-y-you said it w-w-was m-mine." She looked so afraid that Sango hit Inuyasha for being so snappish with her.

"What he means is," she started gently with a glower in the boy's direction, "you obviously wanted the potato soup. Why'd you pick the broth?"

The girl looked nervously down at her chosen meal. "Well, it is what he sent for me to begin with, so he must have wanted me to eat it–"

Sango shook her head. "No. He just wanted to start you off with something not too heavy so it wouldn't make you feel sick. If you can stomach the potato soup, then go ahead."

"But Sesshomaru," she started, feeling quite torn.

"Forget about him. If you want it, eat it. It isn't really that big a deal," said Inuyasha, crossing his arms.

She looked so upset. "But. . ." It was spoken softly, almost tearfully.

"Fine! If you want to eat the broth, eat the broth! It's no big deal!"

Sango sighed, rolling her eyes. '_He obviously doesn't know that this is about more than the food._' She indicated for him to be quiet and turned to the girl. "What's wrong?"

"The people here are so strange. . ." She opened her mouth to continue but just shook her head, letting the sentence trail off.

"Here? Where are you from?"

"Sakaio. But here people are so double-faced. I-I-I don't know wh-wh-what–"

"It was just some soup," started Inuyasha, but yelped as Sango kicked him.

"It's okay, Kagome," she said gently, sending him warning looks. 'What?' he mouthed. "Shut up," she growled, trying to comfort the girl. "As soon as you're well again, which should be in a few days, you can go back to Sakaio."

"Why go back if there's nothing to go back to?" The girl's response was so softly spoken that the two weren't entirely sure that they heard correctly.

"Don't you have any family?"

"Not any more."

Sango glanced at Inuyasha seriously. She was about to speak when she saw the door open. Sesshomaru entered silently and raised a brow at the scene. He gestured for Inuyasha to follow him into the hall, then closed the door behind them.

"Why hasn't she eaten?"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, explaining about the whole broth fiasco. "It was just some soup! Nothing to get all emotional over!"

Sesshomaru resisted the urge to strangle his little brother. '_It obviously isn't about the soup._' "I swear, you don't have the brain you were born with," he muttered, hearing his brother's sputtered protests but not paying them any mind before he returned to the room. The girl's eyes were lowered and she seemed even more withdrawn than before he left. "Kagome." The girl looked up, slightly startled at hearing him say her name. "Eat the soup." '_There. I told her to eat the soup. That's one problem taken care of,_' he thought, watching the girl promptly pick up her spoon and begin to eat. When she finished, he asked Sango to prepare her a cup of tea. Once it was done, Kagome took the cup in shaking hands. '_At this rate she'll have a nervous breakdown before dark._'

"You are from Sakaio," he stated simply. She nodded. "Then what are you doing here?"

The girl wasn't shocked by his blunt approach. "I don't remember."

There was something about her, perhaps it was the way she didn't meet his eyes or that she answered so readily, but whatever it was told him that she was lying. "You don't remember," he repeated.

"No."

"Nothing at all."

"No."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Last night."

"What about it?"

"Coming into the clearing."

"And that's it."

"Yes."

"Hmm." She glanced at him before looking down at the cup in her hands. "Nothing before then?"

"No."

"Nothing at all."

"No."

"Nothing about being at Lord Naraku's castle?" he asked, looking for a reaction. He got one. The girl stiffened minutely, but he noticed nonetheless.

"Who?"

"Lord Naraku. The cloak you were wearing last night had his personal crest on it. The only way you could get that is if you were at his castle."

"Oh."

"So you were there?"

"I doubt it."

"But you can't be sure, since you don't remember."

"What business could I have with a lord?"

"I'm certain there are a few things."

She glared up at him. "What?"

'_A satisfactory response at last._' "I suppose there are lots of things a Sakaiian young woman such as yourself could do with a Taisokuan lord." The girl listened in silence, so he continued. "You could be inquiring about purchasing some land, you could be inquiring about a place in his staff. There are quite a few things you could be doing there, aside from the more obvious things that come to mind." He knew that he sounded skeptical. It was exactly what he was going for.

And she took the bait. "What are you trying to say?" she asked, noticeably offended.

"Tell us what you were doing at Lord Naraku's castle."

She was still trembling as she answered through gritted teeth. "_I don't remember._"

Sesshomaru gave an 'annoyed' sigh. "Fine then. Since you are from Sakaio and Inuyasha says that you have no family, what did you plan to do upon reaching Taisoku?"

"What makes you think I actually wanted to come here?" she spat, seething with anger, then immediately caught her error.

'_Ah,_' Sesshomaru thought, nodding, '_an answer at last._' "So you were forced to come here." The girl just nodded, eyes downcast. "By who?"

She shook her head. "Don't remember," she whispered softly.

'_Now things are starting to make sense._' "What do you remember?"

She continued to shake her head, but more vigorously. "Don't remember," she insisted, sadness creeping into her voice.

But he knew that she did.

And now, kiddies, it's Q&A time!

**midnightloon**- 1. _Does Kagome have amnesia? _No. Not exactly. The only reason she 'doesn't remember' is because she doesn't want to, and Sesshomaru realizes that. Hence. . . well. . . that last sentence there in the chapter.

2. _Are Kagome and Kikyo long lost twin sisters separated at birth? _Once again, not exactly. But close. It's gona take them an excruciatingly long conversation tracing over family trees and such to realize exactly how they're related, but they _are_ related.

3. _When is the story taking place? The past or present?_ Hmm. It never occurred to me that this could take place in the present. I have it set in the past, but I suppose it could work in the present too. Except for the whole sword thing. If guys just randomly whipped out swords today, I'd be a heck of a lot happier. We'd have a whole Highlander (which I don't own) thing going on there, but it'd still be cool anyway.

AN: Oh my good heavens above, my neck is killing me. I hurt it a few days ago and now I'm stuck in this brace thingie and taking pain pills and muscle relaxers that make me so incredibly tired. And if I don't go to sleep. . . lets not go into that. Please review people. I know it's a lot to ask, but I'm begging here. I'm exhausted, drugged to the high hills on friggin prescription pain killers, and in excruciating pain. I want is a few letters in me mail box. Come on. Please? The next update will probably be a little late, b/c of this friggin hurricane. Darn you, weather channel! Oh well. Ta ta my darlings!


	4. Revelations

AN: Glad you guys liked that last chapter. I was kinda loopy when I wrote that. Actually, I'm between doses now, so I'm quite sane at the moment. And I can type! It's hard to type when my medicine has fully kicked in, but I have a while until my last dose of the day, so I can dedicate all my attention to writing this lovely chapter for y'all. Isn't that great? I had planned on taking a bit longer to expose Kagome's past, but with all the reviews wanting it sooner, I decided to indulge you guys a bit. Questions and answers are at the end of the chapter, which will be the norm from now on. Note: If you see italics with nothing around it, such as this:

_italicsitalicsitalicsitalicsitalicsitalicsblablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablablababla. . . _

The above is the format of a flashback. There will be many odd formats in this story, for circumstances in the plot require it. Mmm kay? Onward!

**Disclaimer:** What is wrong with you people? I DON'T OWN HIM! OR HIS SEXY OLDER BROTHER! IS IT CLEAR NOW?

**Chapter Four: Revelations**

Sesshomaru was watching her. She could feel it in the air, a tickling presence behind her eyes. After that first brusque interrogation, he left her alone, or so it had seemed. But every so often, she would feel his eyes on her. '_He makes me so nervous. I can hardly think properly._' It was a bit of time after the whole 'soup' incident; the sky had long since turned dark.

"Are you finished?"

She jerked away from her thoughts, turning to face her healer. "What?"

"With your meal. Are you finished?" He plainly didn't like repeating himself.

She swallowed nervously. She wasn't really, but he was plainly waiting for her to be done, so. . . "I–"

"It's fine if you're not. Take your time."

She nodded, looking back down to her beef and vegetable stew with bread and quickly finishing it.

Sesshomaru took it from her, resisting the urge to shake his head. '_She's so eager to please. What happened to her?_' "I will be back momentarily." He turned and left the room, heading down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"She's done?" asked Kaede, looking up from the plates she was washing. He nodded with a disgruntled sigh. "Give me those." She took the girl's dirty dishes and proceeded to wash them as well. "What's wrong?"

"She's so. . . servile." '_She acts how she thinks I would want her to act._'

"The broth thing," she said with a nod.

"But that's not it. She sits there and watches me as if she's afraid I'll lash out and cut off her head or something."

"Well it's not exactly second nature to be at ease around you," commented his younger brother from the table.

"But she was like that around you and Sango as well."

Inuyasha blinked. '_No comeback or glare or anything. She must really have him stumped._' "She was," he admitted, also puzzled by the girl. "And I'm downright huggable compared to you." That time Sesshomaru did glare at him.

"She did seem a bit. . . introverted," added Sango softly, seated across from Miroku.

"And she is getting worse," muttered Sesshomaru, taking a deep breath and leaning against a counter.

"Hmm." Kaede's brow was furrowed in thought. "I know," she said after a moment. "Why don't we all go up for tea and see if we can't get her to. . . loosen up a little?"

They all nodded their agreement, then the older silver-haired sibling spoke. "But there's another problem. What are we to do with her?"

"She did have a point when we were talking earlier. Why would we send her back to Sakaio if she's got nothing to go back to?" pondered Sango with a worried frown.

"I'd like to know who forced her to come here against her will," murmured Inuyasha, voice barely above a growl.

"Don't forget about her wounds," interjected Kikyo, seated next to him.

"Perhaps they were made by the same person who forced her here," suggested Miroku, speaking for the first time.

"Probably. And where does Lord Naraku fit into all of this?" asked Sango,

Sesshomaru was frowning. He had an idea. More than an idea actually. It was something like a gut instinct, telling him that he wouldn't like Lord Naraku's involvement with the girl waiting fearfully for him up the stairs.

"Whenever we are ready to go." Kaede had a tray with a kettle of hot water, tea, and cups. They all trudged up the stairs, Sesshomaru in the lead.

Kagome sighed in relief as the man left the room. Her nerves were so on edge she could hardly stand it. He made her so anxious. She kept telling herself that she didn't know why, but inside she was certain: he made her anxious because he knew. And if he didn't know, he suspected. She had the sudden urge to scream. There were so many things ricocheting around inside her mind that she was surprised she didn't burst from it all. She felt so raw. She couldn't even to begin to think about what had happened. What had started back in Sakaio on an ordinary, cheery day. Back when her family was still whole. Before. . . '_Stop it! No! I don't remember!_' She wrapped her arms around herself, unconsciously rocking back and forth in a slow, comforting rhythm, and looked around.

Even the cold, intimidating presence of her healer was better company than her thoughts. Where was he? '_He said he'd be back momentarily. Where is he?_' Although she had found herself wishing that she was alone, she now longed for another's presence. She closed her eyes. Images of her parents the very last time she saw them flickered across her closed eyelids. Her eyes sprang open immediately. '_No!_' she screamed to her unruly memories '_I don't remember. **I don't remember!**_' She stared straight ahead, not hearing the door open.

Sesshomaru entered the room and blinked. The girl had all but curled herself into a ball on the bed. Her arms were wrapped around herself tightly and she was rocking back and forth, shivering slightly. "Kagome." He said her name cautiously, watching her warily. Hearing his voice, the girl's eyes shot to him. '_Does she look. . . relieved?_' He was almost certain of it. He stepped into the room, the others filing in behind him cautiously. He arranged her back against the pillows once again. It took him a moment, however. The girl's fingers were clenched in the fabric of her nightgown, knuckles pale with her taut grip. As he pried them free, she met his gaze, her eyes appearing distinctly haunted. He blinked. '_What happened? I didn't leave her alone five minutes._' Once their stare had been broken, she too blinked. He watched as her eyes went from haunted, to blank, then to a slight, submissive fear. He sighed. It was the same look in her eyes as when he left.

"We usually have tea after dinner," he started slowly.

"Yes," chimed in Kaede hesitantly. "We thought, since you are a guest, we'd come up and have tea with you. Maybe get to know you better?" They had seen the girl's quite alarming display from the door.

The girl looked at her with eyes like a small frightened animal and gave a terse nod.

Sango stepped forward. "Don't worry. We're not going to hurt you or anything." She crossed the room and sat at the end of the bed. "How are you doing? Feeling better now that you've eaten?" she asked with a friendly smile. The girl gave another nod, but seemed to relax slightly. She glanced around the room, taking in familiar and new faces. "Oh." Sango saw her looking about. "You've already met Sesshomaru and Inuyasha of course. That is Miroku." She pointed to the blue-eyed boy who grinned boyishly at their visitor. "That's Kikyo." The aloof serving girl nodded to her. She returned the gesture. "And this is Kaede." The woman was fixing the tea, but gave the girl a warm smile nonetheless.

"It's so nice to see you up Kagome. We were very worried when Sesshomaru first brought you in. But look at you! Sitting up and only after a day! You'll be walking around the inn in no time!" Kaede handed her a cup.

Kagome held it as the woman filled it with the hot beverage. "Thank you," she said, voice little more than a whimper.

"My pleasure." The woman quickly served the others before fixing herself a cup. "There now. Kagome, why don't you tell us some about yourself? How old are you?"

"E-e-eighteen."

"So am I!" exclaimed Sango happily. "My birthday's February twenty-third. When's yours?"

"The seventeenth of August." The girl's eyes were downcast, but she would glance up occasionally as she became more at ease.

"That wasn't too long ago. Did you have a nice birthday?" asked Miroku good-naturedly.

"Y-yes."

"I'm glad you did. All I got was extra chores," grumbled Sango, crossing her arms. They all laughed and the girl put a shy, upward turn to the corners of her mouth. Sango gasped. "Is that a smile?" Kagome's newly sprouted smile grew.

"Aww. She has dimples. How cute!" exclaimed Kaede with a chuckle. The girl flushed crimson, looking away.

Sesshomaru sighed inaudibly. '_Good. They've gotten through to her a bit._'

Inuyasha watched the girl intently. '_She looks a lot better than she did earlier. Maybe it's because she's blushing._' He shook his head. '_Nah. Probably not._'

Kagome must have found the bottom of her teacup very interesting, for she was nearly nose to nose with it.

"Careful you don't drown," commented the older brother drily.

"Yes. It would be a pity, after how hard he worked to get you all patched up," added Kaede with a smile. Kagome took a sip of her tea, the pink in her cheeks never relenting.

There was a long but companionable silence. Kaede took a deep breath. "Well Kagome, what are we going to do with you?"

The girl lowered her eyes once again. '_What _are_ they going to do with me? I have nowhere to go now. It wouldn't be too bad to stay, though. They seem alright, and they don't ask too many questions about. . . NO. Don't remember._' A tremor ran through her body.

Sango looked over at her, concerned, but didn't speak.

"I suppose we could let her stay here. I could always use another hand in the kitchen. Can you cook?" asked the friendly woman.

Kagome nodded. "I used to help my. . ." Her voice tapered off to nothing and tears suddenly came to her eyes in a rush. She blinked them away, taking another sip of her tea.

Kaede put a hand on the girl's shoulder and spoke. "Wonderful. You can start whenever you're ready–"

"After she's fully healed. I wouldn't put it past her to try to start tomorrow," interjected Sesshomaru with a glance at his patient. He could see the corners of her lips quirk a bit over the edge of her teacup.

"Of course. After she's healed. But that won't be long anyway," said Sango. The room once again lapsed into silence, but one that was slightly more uneasy.

'_Why are they being so nice to me? Do they always trust strangers that collapse at their inn? They're so kind. Perhaps everyone here isn't as bad as. . ._' She vaguely felt herself start to tremble. '_I wish. . . I wish I could just go home. Back to the way things were. Back when. . ._' '**_But you can't. After all, remember what happened the last time you wished for something?_**' It was the voice in her head, that little pessimistic something that promised dread, whispered her deepest fears, and crooned her uttermost regrets. No matter how hard she tried to repress it, the voice wormed its way into her consciousness. '**_You remember._**' The girl shook her head. '_No I don't. I don't remember._' But she did. She remembered everything.

_Kagome was sitting at the window next to her mother, watching as her little brother came back from doing his chores. He would come inside and kiss their mother on the cheek. Their mother would tell him to go wash up for dinner. It was the same thing every night and had been for as long as she could remember. She sighed. "Momma, everything's so boring around here. It's the same thing, day in and day out. I wish something a little more. . . interesting would happen." _

_Her mother turned to her then, face utterly serious and lips turned down into a slight frown. "Hush up. You need to be careful what you wish for. Things are never what they seem." _

_Things remained ordinary until one afternoon two days later. _

"_Momma? Who's that?" She was looking at the carriage that had just ridden past their modest house. Her mother didn't reply at first. "Momma?" _

"_Get inside Kagome. Now."_

_She did as her mother told her, never understanding until it was too late what her mother meant._

'_But I understand now._' Kagome felt a hand on her arm. She jerked herself away from her thoughts.

Sango was looking at her, concerned. "Are you alright, Kagome?"

The girl nodded weakly, but didn't speak. She didn't trust herself, didn't trust her tongue just then. '_I'm sorry Momma. I'm so sorry._' She took a sip of her tea, then another.

There was nary a sound in the room. No one had anything to say after her. . . '_What was it? A trance?_' Sesshomaru was still frowning. Kagome was still trembling. Everyone else was still staring. The tension-filled quiet stretched on infinitely.

Kaede looked at the girl worriedly. "Kagome?"

She jumped, startled so badly that her still half-full teacup fell to the floor and shattered. She looked up at Kaede, panic etched into her features. "I-I-I-I'm s-s-sorry." She tried to get off of the bed to clean it up, shaking more violently than before.

"It's okay." The woman was on the floor with a towel, gathering the liquid and shards of ceramic. The girl was still trying to get up and help her.

"It's alright Kagome. It was an accident," said Sango, keeping the girl in bed as Kaede cleaned up the small mess.

The girl turned to her with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. Please. I'm sorry." She looked down at her hands, shaking tremulously and still apologizing.

Kaede finished quickly and wrapped her arms around the girl. "It's okay Kagome." She could see the girl try to keep the tears from falling down her cheeks, but failing. The woman smoothed her hair, rocking her comfortingly as the girl cried against her.

"I-I-I–" Kagome started, wiping her eyes.

Sango shushed her, rubbing her back. "It's alright."

Several minutes later, Kagome had stopped crying and was staring, unseeing, straight ahead. Her emotional display had left her exhausted. It was all she could do not to start screaming at the top of her lungs to drown out the memories echoing in her mind.

Sesshomaru looked at the girl. Her posture screamed of defeat, her eyes speaking of terrors they had witnessed.

Sango and Kaede had their arms around her, but she didn't seem to notice. They were at a loss. '_What are we supposed to do?_' thought Sango, exasperated. With a sigh, she turned to face the girl and looked her in the eye seriously. "Kagome, what happened?"

Q&A Time, my darlings! Mwahahahahaha!

**Fairie Mistress: **_Is Kikyo gonna be a bitch in this story? _Hmm. (Grin) Not really. She's going to be really cold, aloof, and have her bitchy moments, but not necessarily a bitch. She has nothing personal against Kagome in this story. (Well, not for the time being anyway.) There's going to be a different bitch in this story. An OC of mine, and I assure you that everyone will hate her.

**Inu Girl Demon: **_Why can Kagome heal fast? _Well, that's going to come into play later in the story, but Kikyo and Kaede said she healed like a miko. Maybe that's it, and maybe it isn't. We'll never know, not until later anyway. (Grin)

AN: Yah. I know. It's short. It was actually seven pages long, but I didn't want to reveal too much too fast, so now it's five. Editing's a bitch. I wasn't very thorough, so forgive me for any spelling and/or grammar glitches. Really sorry. I hope you liked the chapter. As I said before, I was going to have this part a few chapters later, but I decided to give you guys a reward for all the nice reviews you've been giving me. Apeek into Kagome's past and a very promising cliffie. (Grins) Please review. Please? If you do. . . I'll update every few days, I promise. Okay. I'm going now. Gotta work on Ch. 5. It's gona be fun. Buh bye!


	5. Plague of Memories Part 1

AN: Ug. I'm so sorry for the wait, guys, but I have really, REALLY dreaded writing this chapter. It's just one of those chapters that it drains you to write. I mean, I know the outline of what is supposed to happen, but actually putting it down on paper. . . not so easy. Uhg! I really don't want to write this, but I think I've made you guys wait long enough. So here it is. The dreaded chapter that explains Kagome's past. (sigh) I don't wanna! But I will. This next bit here goes more for the chapter six, but I decided to put it here because. . . because. . . well, because I can: I think I should warn you. Things may get a tiny bit violent. Aw, what the hell am I saying? Someone decides to use the main character as a cutting board. There is also a bit of adult content. Not much. (A brothel, a few lewd comments here and there, but nothing too awful.) If reading something like this offends you, (I personally don't think it's that bad, but whatever) I recommend that you don't read this chapter or the next. Or parts of them. Whatever. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own him. Wish I did. But I don't.

**Chapter Five: Plague of Memories- Part One: The Beginning**

Kagome shook her head. "I can't."

"What do you mean?" Kaede asked, stroking the hair from the girl's face.

"I _can't_."

"Why?" Sesshomaru inquired, leaning against the dresser.

She just shook her head again sorrowfully. "You don't understand." She appeared to be on the verge of crying again.

"It's alright, Kagome," said Sango, arm still around the girl's shoulders.

She didn't reply, but instead closed her eyes.

Kaede spoke to her softly. "We only want to help."

She shook her head again. "You can't help." She started to continue but didn't, looking down at her hands instead.

"What?" asked Sesshomaru, voice remaining patient.

There was no response. They watched each other over her head, exchanging puzzled looks.

"Kagome–" started Kaede.

"It won't matter if you help or not. It'll all end up the same," the girl whispered.

The woman nodded. "Okay. If you don't want to, you don't have to."

The girl blinked. They were giving her a choice? She thought the woman's words over, staring blankly ahead of her. '_Maybe they can help,_' she thought. Making up her mind, she took a deep breath and began to speak.

"We were outside, Momma and me. It was time to take the laundry in. . ."

:-:

_The sun was shining, but there were clouds off to the east. Mrs. Higurashi looked up from the dinner she and her daughter were preparing. _

"_Come Kagome. We have to get the laundry before it starts to rain."_

"_But Momma, it's not going to rain for a while, and it's hot outside," the girl whined, looking up from the pot she was stirring. _

"_Less complaining, more walking. I'm going to help, so it shouldn't take long at all." The woman took her daughter's hand and led her to their clothesline. Kagome sighed. '_Well, there's no use in moping. Might as well get it over with._' she thought, starting to take the sheets down and putting them in the basket between them. _

"_See? It isn't too bad out here. There's a breeze," her mother said cheerfully. Kagome, although she tried to, couldn't hide the slight smile that sprang to her lips. They continued to work in companionable silence. Finishing quickly, as Mrs. Higurashi predicted, they decided to stay outside a moment longer and enjoy the slight wind._

"_Momma," the girl said, laughing softly, gesturing to their left. _

_The woman turned to find her husband and son sparring, whereas the should have been repairing a wagon wheel. "Will you look at that?" She shook her head, also laughing. "Men."_

"_Men," her daughter agreed with a nod. They both giggled slightly. _

"_One of these days, a boy will catch your eye and you won't be saying that anymore." _

_Kagome rolled her eyes. "Not likely." _

_Now it was the mother's turn to roll her eyes. "Right." The two fell quiet once again and continued to watch the other two's roughhousing._

_Minutes later, an expensive looking carriage rolled past, starting to slow in front of their house. Mrs. Higurashi frowned._

"_Momma? Who's that?" asked Kagome, also eyeing the carriage curiously. The woman didn't reply at first. "Momma?"_

"_Get inside Kagome. Now." Her voice was firm, leaving no room for argument. The girl nodded, disappearing inside the kitchen. _

_The carriage stopped as Mrs. Higurashi called to her husband. But he saw it too, and shared his wife's worried expression. Mr. Higurashi and their son quickly made their way back inside, watching from a window as five men exited the carriage._

"_What's going on?" asked Souta, Kagome's younger brother. Neither of his parents answered, and his sister shrugged. A knock sounded. Her mother and father looked at one another. There was another knock. They crossed their living room and opened the door._

"_May I help you?" asked Kagome's father, blocking the entrance to his home with his body._

"_Allow me to introduce myself," a man's deep voice said, but the children couldn't see him. "I am Lord Naraku of Taisoku. I was wondering if my men and I could come in for a bit?" _

_The parents shared a look. They very well couldn't defy a Lord, but there was something about this man. Something that wasn't right. However, he was a Lord. _

_With a stiff nod, Kagome's father moved aside, allowing the Lord and his men into their home. _

"_Please. Sit," offered Mrs. Higurashi. Kagome could hear a note of nervousness in her voice. The man nodded, taking a seat, but the other four men that entered behind him remained standing. "Can I offer you anything? Perhaps some sake?" Although she was anxious, the woman acted the part of a gracious hostess. _

"_No thank you. I'm sure that you are busy, so I will not waste your time." Despite his words, his voice implied that they could be doing nothing that mattered, and if anyone's time was going to be wasted there, it was his. "We just happened to be passing through, and I couldn't help but notice the young woman you were with, madam. Your daughter, I assume?"_

_Mrs. Higurashi swallowed nervously, glancing at her husband. He seemed as unsettled as she. The woman nodded. "Yes."_

"_She is quite lovely. It runs in the family, I see."_

"_Thank you." There was no warmth in the words._

"_My Lord," started Mr. Higurashi, "I do not mean to be rude, but. . ."_

"_I understand, but, before I leave, I would like to see her." However politely it was spoken, it was an order. _

_Mrs. Higurashi's mouth worked, but not a sound came out. She looked to her husband helplessly. _

_He was quite obviously upset, but they couldn't defy a Lord. "Kagome," he called, his voice a mixture of regret, contempt, and sadness. _

_The girl entered the room from the kitchen, bowing politely to their guest. As she straightened, she looked to her parents, confused._

"_Look at me, girl," the Lord commanded. Her gaze snapped to him immediately. He didn't speak at first, taking several long moments to study from head to toe. Finally, he looked her straight in the eye. "Beautiful." _

_She swallowed nervously, unconsciously licking her lips. The man saw the gesture and smirked. "How old are you?"_

"_Eighteen, my Lord." _

"_Eighteen? And not married?" He turned to the husband and wife. "Why?" There was a heavy, pregnant pause. "And do not lie to me, saying that she his betrothed when she is not." _

_It was many seconds later when Mr. Higurashi replied. "She doesn't wish to be married."_

"_Ah. A free spirit. Doesn't want to be tied to a man. Is that right?" He directed his attention back to the girl._

_She nodded hesitantly. "Y-yes, my Lord." _

_He nodded also, eyes glinting with something closely related to hunger. " Wonderful." He addressed the parents once again. "She's exquisite. There are not many young women like her." _

_The Higurashi's said nothing, expressions lingering somewhere between horror and anguish. _

"_I do not believe in beating around the bush. Your daughter is simply stunning. I am willing to take her back to Taisoku with me."_

_Mr. Higurashi didn't hesitate to respond. "No."_

"_I thought you would say that. Will this help you change your mind?" He dropped a rather large purse of money in front of the girl's appalled parents._

"_No," the father repeated, shaking his head. _

"_Not enough for you? Fine." He took out another purse, even larger than before, and dropped it next to the first._

"_We are not selling our daughter," hissed Mrs. Higurashi, voice trembling with pent-up emotions. _

"_Would you like to reconsider?" He dropped a third purse, then gestured to the three bags of money. "A small fortune, that is." _

"_We said no," Mr. Higurashi growled angrily. _

_The Lord sighed, shaking his head. "I hate to resort to this." He got to his feet. _

_The girl's parents also stood, positioning themselves in front of their daughter protectively. _

"_Momma?" Kagome asked unsteadily, tears burning her eyes._

_The woman reached behind her and squeezed the girl's hand. "It will be alright," she said, glaring daggers at the man advancing towards them._

_"I do not like turning to violence, but. . ." He sighed. "The things a man will do for a woman."_

"_Over my dead body," uttered the girl's father menacingly._

_The Lord sneered. "If you insist." He looked over his shoulder to the four that entered with him. "Get her." The men started forward._

_Mr. Higurashi pushed his wife and daughter back into the kitchen, pressing his back against the door. His wife mirrored him, positioning her heels firmly on the floor. "Kagome," she said breathlessly, "Take Souta and get away from here. They won't be able to find you in the forest."_

"_Momma," Kagome whimpered, tears streaming down her cheeks. _

_The woman wiped the wet streaks from her daughter's face, kissing her gently. "Go." She pushed her children towards the kitchen door._

"_No. Momma, Daddy," she started, echoed by her brother. _

"_Go. Now!" Her father ground out, pushing a heavy cabinet in front of the door and grabbing a sword as his wife got a heavy kitchen knife. _

_Taking her brother's hand, she ran towards the woods a hundred meters away, but looked back at the sound of splintering wood and her mother's scream. _

:-:

Kagome paused, trembling. "I-I-I knew I shouldn't have gone back. I knew w-we should have kept going, b-but she was screaming. . ." Two tears crept down her cheeks. She took a deep, shuddering breath before continuing. "W-we ran back to the house. . ."

:-:

_Kagome and Souta rushed into their kitchen breathlessly, and heard the Lord bellow a command. "Find her!" _

_He and his men weren't in the house. She looked around. The cabinet was destroyed. She paled at the sight of blood smeared on their usually clean kitchen floor. Following the red stain, the two siblings ended up in their living room. Kagome gasped, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound of anguish trying to escape her lips. She and her brother couldn't utter a word. She grasped the boy's hand tightly, tears spilling down her cheeks once again. The girl could feel her little brother's body shaking with muffled sobs and pulled him to her. She tried to take in the sight before her. Their father's bloody, obviously deceased form was slumped over the table, eyes gazing straight ahead lifelessly. She could see that he was dead, but it didn't convince her. She stepped forward, her brother still clinging to her and sobbing. The girl knelt next to her father's body, gently pressing her fingers to his lips. There was no gentle, warm gust of air. She then placed her hand over his heart. There was no beating beneath her palm. She rested her hand on his cheek, gazing at him before hugging him close. '_Daddy_' she thought, sobbing softly. A few moments later, she pulled away and kissed her father, gently closing his eyes. '_I love you, Daddy._' She stood, hugging her brother to her once again. _

_A sound caused by neither her nor her brother made her look up. Fear tightened cold fingers around her heart. After seconds of frantic looking, she discovered the source of the sound. "Momma!" she cried, stumbling towards her mother, who was beneath an overturned shelf. Kagome and Souta moved the cumbersome piece of furniture as quickly as they could, then dropped to their mother's side. _

"_Momma," Souta began, voice thick with tears._

"_Souta?" whispered the woman, reaching to touch his cheek. There was a knife wound between her ribs, and her usually immaculate clothing was stained crimson. Kagome barely succeeded in stopping a sob from leaving her throat. Swallowing, she touched her mother's face. "Kagome." Mrs. Higurashi smiled briefly before frowning. "You shouldn't be here. They'll be back."_

"_Momma, let me help." Kagome ripped a length of fabric from her skirt, pressing it to the laceration. She was stilled by a hand on hers._

"_No," whispered her mother, removing the girl's hand. "Take your brother and go." _

"_We won't leave you," said Souta, hugging his mother._

"_Souta." She gently stroked her son's hair. "You have to go. They will be back." Her breathing became labored. _

"_Momma," cried Kagome, wrapping her arms around her mother's slight form. _

"_Shh." The woman held her children, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You have to go. They're coming back. Go–" Her voice caught and she kissed her son first, then her daughter. "Leave." She then fell silent. The siblings could feel her death. They felt her last heartbeat; felt the last breath leave her body. _

_Kagome fought to bring her back. She tried everything her mother taught her, even channeling her energy into the woman, but to no avail. "Momma," she sobbed, slumped over her mother's newly deceased form. Long moments later, the girl looked down at her brother's tear-streaked face and opened her mouth to speak._

"_Souta–" _

"_I think I heard something." It was one of the Lord's men. _

_The girl kissed her mother's cheek, then their entwined fingers. "I love you." She hesitantly let go of her mother's hand and stood. _

_Turning to her little brother, she hurried him out the door. As she left, she noticed something she had overlooked before. The bodies of two of the Lord's men. After checking to make sure that no one would spot them, they ran as quickly as they could to safe-haven of trees._

_Several minutes passed, and still they fled. They continued to run until they thought their lungs would burst. The siblings finally stopped, resting against tree trunks and panting._

"_What are we going to do?" asked Souta, catching his breath. _

_His sister studied him for a moment. "I don't know." They fell silent once again. _

:-:

"We didn't even hear them at first," the girl said softly. "When we did, they had gotten too close. . ."

:-:

_The sound of snapping twigs suddenly registered in Kagome's mind. She turned to her brother quickly. "Souta ru–"_

"_Got ya!" A pair of hands suddenly had an iron grip around her arms. She struggled, kicking and clawing, but it was no use. The Lord's man held her in place as if it was no trouble in the least. "You got that one?" he called to his accomplice. _

"_Yeah. Put up one hell of a struggle, though." _

_The girl turned towards the other voice and cried out. "Souta!" Her little brother was sitting, unconscious, on the forest floor. The man who had spoken was binding his wrists and ankles together. He then crossed to the girl and her captor, holding her still as the man behind her tied her wrists together. _

"_Walk," he ordered once finished. She stubbornly refused, starting to fight once again. _

"_No!" _

"_I believe I said walk," he said, holding a knife to her throat. Kagome went still, feeling the cold metal rub against her skin. She took an unsteady step, then another. _

"_Hurry it up, bitch," he snapped, pressing the blade snugly against her. She complied, quickening her steps. The other man walked to her brother and tossed the boy over his shoulder, following. They walked on in silence for several minutes. Finally, the one with the knife spoke to the other. "What do you think he's going to do with her?"_

_The other man laughed. "I don't know. She's got a wild streak. It's gona be interesting to see him break her." She kept walking, eyes straight ahead._

"_Yeah. He usually likes the bold ones. Likes to tame 'em, he says," the voice closest to her said with a laugh. "Then again, I wouldn't mind taming this one myself." She swallowed, trying to ignore the terror creeping up her spine. _

"_Uh huh. She's a pretty one, she is." The one with her brother then sighed. "But she's Lord Naraku's. After he's gone through all this trouble, he won't like it if we get to her first." _

"_Who says he's gotta know?"_

"_You wanna risk it? Risk him finding out? You know he'd kill you."_

_He sighed. "You're right. But maybe after he's done with her. . .?" He pressed his lips against her exposed neck and inhaled deeply. The girl's entire body went stiff, her breath coming in short, panicked gasps. _

_The two men laughed obscenely and hurried her along once again. They arrived to the girl's house a few long minutes later. _

"_Lord Naraku. Look who we found," called the one holding her, pushing her forward. She stumbled, but didn't fall, and kept her eyes on the ground. _

"_Ah. My lovely Kagome." A hand tilted her chin up, and she found her face inches away from the Lord's. She jerked her face out of his grasp, looking at her feet. To her surprise, he didn't get angry or strike her. Instead, he laughed. "Ah. That 'free spirit' of yours." She swallowed, not replying. "Well, lets have a look." He held her at arm's length, taking in her face and clothes streaked with her parent's blood. The Lord sighed, 'tsk'ing at her. He took a handkerchief from his pocket, touched a corner of it to his tongue, then proceeded to wipe a smear of blood from her cheek. _

:-:

Kagome was looking ahead blankly, as if seeing the event played out before her eyes. "He said 'Look at you. You're filthy.'" A solitary tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "He got in the carriage. . ."

:-:

_Lord Naraku gently grasped the girl's hands. "Here. Let me help you." He assisted her into the carriage, then let his men, plus her brother, enter behind her. There were five of them. Five passengers, as it was when the carriage had first arrived. _

_Kagome looked out the window to her home and silently said goodbye to her parents one more time. '_I'm sorry,_' she thought, tears coming to her eyes once again. _

_As if sensing her melancholy thoughts, the Lord tilted her face towards him once again. "I assure you, Kagome, things will start to look up ."_

_As she did before, she jerked her face away from him. "You killed them," she whispered, watching her house recede as the carriage moved forward._

_Lord Naraku sighed, stretching slightly. "You will soon come to see, _darling_, that I am a very dedicated man. Nothing comes between me and what I want." He tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. She said nothing, turning her face away from him and looking out the window once again, just in time to see her house disappear around a corner. She closed her eyes, willing herself not to shed a tear._

_Several hours passed. Every once and a while, Lord Naraku would reach over and touch her hair, face, or neck, making some sort of bodily contact that she could, quite frankly, do without. Kagome never responded. She would stubbornly ignore him, refusing to look at him when she felt his hands. It was never indecent, though. His gestures were gentle, almost casual._

_Suddenly, as he was stroking her cheek and twirling that same loose piece of hair around his finger, she realized what the Lord was up to. Something her father taught her long ago came to mind. '_When you're training a horse that has never been ridden, you start light touches, until it knows your touch and realizes that you won't hurt it. Lightly at first, then the you will eventually be able to saddle and ride the animal. It's the basic building of trust.' _The girl started in horror, quickly putting as much distance between herself and the Lord as the carriage allowed._

_He laughed softly, but the sound seemed menacing to her ears. "Yes," he said, almost musingly, "I believe you will do nicely." The urge to cry suddenly presented itself once again, but she fought it, glaring at him. _

_They stopped at an inn, apparently for the night. She knew that she wasn't in her native Sakaio, so she assumed that they had gone to Taisoku, where his power and influence would be even greater. She paled at the thought._

"_Come now, darling. I want you to meet a few friends." He took her from the carriage, and didn't look back to see the two men haul her brother out as well. Yet again, one of them tossed him over his shoulder, and they approached the inn. _

"_Meoko?" called Lord Naraku, entering through the kitchen door without knocking. _

"_My Lord," a young woman bowed. She was pretty enough, but average._

"_Ah. My Meoko." The Lord released Kagome and hugged the woman. "How has it been?"_

"_Marvelous, my Lord. Simply marvelous." The 'Meoko' woman spared the girl a glance, then looked at Lord Naraku with a sigh, hands on hips. "I see you've got another one."_

_The Lord shrugged, almost sheepishly. "You know me. I just can't resist."_

"_By the looks of it, you had a bit of trouble." She was eyeing the girl's blood-stained clothes. _

"_Yes. The parents and I didn't exactly see eye to eye." _

"_Mmhmm. Well lets have a look at her." The woman held Kagome's face in her hands for a moment before the girl jerked her head away. She rolled her eyes. "Rebellious as always. But she's very pretty though." _

"_Isn't she? My best find yet."_

"_That's what you always say," Meoko muttered, studying the girl._

"_But can't you see it? This one's different," said Naraku, voice harboring a nearly child-like awe. _

"_If you insist." Jealousy tinged the woman's voice._

_The Lord sighed. "Meoko." He drew her away from the girl and kissed her. For the first time in a long while, Kagome's stomach threatened to empty itself. "Please?" he asked softly._

_It was the woman's turn to sigh. "Fine. But only if you promise to make it up to me."_

_The Lord smirked. "I will." He kissed her again, hands springing into action. _

_Meoko gasped as if surprised. "My Lord!" Kagome kept her gaze well away from the couple in front of her. Moments later, when they showed no signs of letting go of one another, she took the opportunity to observe her surroundings and see if there was a way out. She looked behind her. The men were standing about two meters away, watching Lord Naraku and the Meoko woman. Her brother, who had been transferred from the man's shoulder to the floor, was still unconscious. Her lips curved downward in a worried frown. '_They didn't kill him, did they?'_ she thought anxiously, wanting to go check on her brother, but knowing that the consequences wouldn't be in her favor if she tried. The men were blocking the door. The only other exits were a door to what appeared to be a common room, which was blocked by the Lord and the woman, and a tiny window. She was small enough to fit, but she knew that she wouldn't be able to maneuver herself through it before they caught her. Perhaps, if her arms were free, but there was no use in trying it with her wrists still tied behind her. _

_She gave a small sigh as a testament of her hopeless. There wasn't a way out. But then again, from the woman's earlier comments, it would appear that they had done this many times before. Enough times to know the ways out and block them. How many girls had been brought there before her? A dozen? Two dozen? Five dozen? A hundred girls standing in that very spot? And what did he do with them? She flushed slightly. She knew what he _did_ with them, but what happened to them? Where were they? Were they still alive? The girl tried not to shudder, but with no success. A tremor shook her small form as she closed her eyes. Moments later, she looked back to her brother. The girl tried to concentrate on his chest. Was it rising and falling, or was her hopeful mind playing tricks on her?_

"_He's alive, if that's what you're worrying that pretty head of yours about," one of the men said with a smirk. She glared at him, then spared her brother one final glance before gazing at her feet. _

_Lord Naraku turned away from the woman in his arms many long seconds later. "Kagome," he said finally. The girl ignored him._

_Meoko sighed, shaking her head. "No respect for her superiors."_

"_I do have respect for my superiors. He just isn't one of them."_

_The woman, appalled and shocked, started to reply, but Lord Naraku held up a hand to stop her. He crossed the room in long, confident strides until he was face to face with her. She didn't look away. She let the hatred she felt for him impregnate itself into her gaze as she met his eyes. _

_He touched her hair, gently stroking her cheek. She ground her teeth, jerking away, but never breaking their eye contact. Once again, he laughed. "Isn's she something," he said softly, as if showing off a new colt or his newest in a collection of jewels. Meoko sighed, shaking her head. _

"_I'm guess you want me to clean her up."_

"_And the boy, if you don't mind."_

_The woman rolled her eyes. "The boy too?"_

"_It won't be trouble. He will not wake for a while yet." _

"_What did they do to him?" Kagome demanded, glaring at the men._

"_Nothing a good rest won't take care of. I assure you, the boy isn't where my interest lies." He shrugged, walking in a slow, tight circle around her. "The only reason I wanted him here is because I thought you might like him to stay. Isn't that what you want?"_

"_No–"_

"_Then you want me to kill him."_

"_No!"_

_The Lord looked at her inquiringly. "Then what do you want?"_

"_I want you to let him go." _

_He started to walk around her once again, taking making three slow rounds before replying. "No. I can't do that now." _

"_Why not? You said the only reason he's here is because of me. You have no interest in him."_

"_And that is true. But you are interested in his well-being, no?" The girl didn't reply, and he didn't seem to expect her to. "The only reason he is here is because of you. I would have just let him be a comfort to you, but now I see I have more options." The Lord stopped right in front of her. Kagome stiffened. "I see I can use him to my advantage. You must understand. You are a thing of beauty. I cannot just slap you around as I see fit. It would be nothing short of sacrilege. But now I understand that I have leverage." He paused, then resumed speaking. "If you give Meoko a hard time, the boy will pay for it."_

"_Why?" Her voice was small, barely a whisper._

"_Hmm. What an interesting question. 'Why?' Perhaps I enjoy it." He started around her again. "Perhaps I find it invigorating. Perhaps I find it satisfying. But then again." He stopped behind her, putting his hands on her shoulders and leaning in close. Kagome could feel his breath on her nape. "Perhaps it's just because I can." He kissed the smooth skin of her neck. "You will soon find that I like to surround myself with beauty." He gently stroked her earlobe. "Why should my female companions be any different?"_

"_How can you call them companions when they are unwilling?" the girl asked, voice trembling and tears in her eyes. _

_Lord Naraku laughed softly. "Meoko can tell you, my dear Kagome. No woman comes to me unwilling."_

_At the mention of the other young woman's name, the girl looked up. When she sighted the face of the Lord's 'female companion', the fear in the recesses of her stomach redoubled. Meoko was smiling. _

_-_

Time for Q&A, darlings!

**Rogue Socks:** _Who's your new character gonna be?_ Shhh. It's a secret. But I assure you. She will be bitchy. You already met one of them (Meoko) Naraku's men are kinda original characters, but not really. They don't really play big roles. They don't even have names, in case you haven't already noticed. They're just referred to as 'that one' and 'that other one' quite a lot. Once they get to their destination, they won't be heard from much. :) As I said. Meoko's not the main bitch of the story, but you've gotta hate her. Anywayz. . . next question!

**DudettRin101: **_Is she going to tell them soon? _Uhm. . . does this question really require an answer? Lol. Just kidding. If you didn't know it already, the answer is yes.

**Inu Girl Demon: **_When is Sesshomaru going to fall in love with her, or is he already in love with her? _(Sigh) People, please. I'm not just going to have them fall in love right off the bat. That'd be unrealistic. So I'm going to answer your second question first. No. He's not already in love with her. He's kind of. . . intrigued by her, slightly, in a way, and kind of annoyed with her whole 'servile' thing, but nothing remotely close to love yet. And, as for your first question. . . I'm not exactly sure. I mean, is it possible to pinpoint exactly when we fall I love? I don't think so. I think it's a gradual buildup of very nice emotional stuff. But don't worry, folks. Long before I start throwing around that big ole 'L' word, there's going to be fluff. Unintentional, very awkward, fluff. Tee hee. Being an authoress is so fun.

AN: (Gasps for breath) Wow. That was a really hard chapter. I've checked. It's over half the length of the entire story up to this point. (Collapses) Ow. My brain. My fingers. Sorry for any errors (spelling, grammar, etc.) This chapter does have a second part: **Chapter Six: Plague of Memories- Part Two: The Meaning of Pain**. Yes. She does go on to continue telling her story. It will pick up. . . in the bath tub, of all places. But it will go on. However, folks, I do have a bit of a letdown: School starts next week. So that means. . . yep you guessed. A few hold ups in updating. It shouldn't get too bad at the beginning, but this is just a heads up. Please review. To all of you who did: Thanks guys! And to you who didn't. . . well. . . thanks for reading. Goodbye, people!


End file.
